Haunted
by KawaiixCherryxBlossom
Summary: “You have to stay away from Saffron City or you’re going to die!” Or so Misty is told. Will she believe the warning or ignore it? And what does this have to do with a terrible moment in her past that she keeps secret? AAMRN.
1. An Unwelcome Welcome

Haunted  
By Kawaii Cherry Blossom

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or its characters. Obviously they are owned by its creators.

Rating: PG-13  
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Drama/Romance  
Type: AAMRN

Summary:   
"You have to stay away from Saffron City or you're going to die!" Or so Misty is told. Will she believe the warning or ignore it? And what does this have to do with a terrible moment in her past that she keeps secret? AAMRN

Ages:  
Ash – 18  
Misty – 18

Author's Notes:  
I thought it was time for a new fic! I've never written a mystery/suspense fic before so this should be fun! The first chapter is a bit short but it's just a sort of introduction for what's to come. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1  
An Un-welcome Welcome

"Remind me again why we're in Lavender Town," a tall, teenage girl said as she shuddered, her blue-green eyes taking in her surroundings. "It gives me the creeps."  
And it was creepy. Stone buildings, grey in colour, sat on the stone floor of the town. Most of the buildings looked old, as if they could collapse any second. Adding to the atmosphere was the sky, which from it's grey, low-hanging clouds, looked as if it were telling the world that a storm was coming in. But maybe it always looked that way. Somehow, it was hard to imagine the sun ever coming out in this place. Above them, a sign hung from two stone pillars that said 'Welcome to Lavender Town'. The sign creaked eerily as it swayed in the breeze.  
Her male companion, of the same age, laughed. Glancing at her, he raised one eyebrow, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling mischievously.  
"You're not scared, are you Misty?" he asked, and she glared at him.  
"You're never going to grow up, are you Ash?" she asked.  
"No," he replied simply, winking at her. She laughed when he did so, and as she turned her head forward, her long, orange locks trailed behind her in the breeze.  
Ash's eyes sparkled, emanating pure excitement. It seemed like forever since he had traveled Kanto, when he first set off on his journey. Those were some of the best times of his life, when he, Misty and Brock had set off across the country, encountering all sorts of adventures. Of course, he had gone on to accomplish much on his other journeys, but it was always his first that brought back the most memories.

That was part of the reason why he wanted to re-live it. Over the past year, he'd taken a break from traveling to spend some time at home for a much needed rest. And he had rested, and enjoyed spending time with his mother and Professor Oak, and all of the other residents of Pallet Town. But inside him, there was a pull that he just couldn't ignore. He had to set off again, back on the road to encounter more adventures. But he didn't want to go alone. So he'd picked up the phone and called Misty, who'd accepted his offer to travel again. She too was growing bored of the gym leader life, and needed to get away for a while. It was Ash who then suggested that they travel Kanto again, to catch up with old friends and make new ones. He also wanted to collect some gym badges and enter the Indigo League Tournament at the end of the year.

And so, here they were, both now eighteen years of age, entering Lavender Town. Their past experience of this dreary place had left Misty quite unwilling to come, but Ash had insisted, as they hadn't got much time to look around when they were last there.  
"Does anyone live here, because it looks pretty abandoned to me," Misty commented as she glanced around looking for any signs of life. But she was right, there didn't appear to be anyone anywhere.  
"And there's no way I'm sleeping outside in this pl…" she began again, but was cut off.  
"Hey, there's someone!" Ash pointed to his right, and sure enough, there sat a girl.  
"I swear she wasn't there just a second ago," Misty said, following Ash as he took off towards her.  
"Don't be silly," he replied, glancing back at her.

The girl, who looked to be about fifteen, sat on a large, grey rock that looked similar to all of the other rocks in the town. She sat with her arms gripping her legs, and her face buried in her knees, her long, jet-black hair falling around her face.  
Ash looked back at Misty, concerned, before walking a few steps closer to her.  
"Um…are you okay?" he asked softly, and was startled as her head whipped up and she crawled back further on the rock. Her eyes were a deep purple, and seemed to almost pierce through his own with a strong intensity. But most noticeable were the tears that streamed down her face as she stared at them fearfully.  
"Don't be scared, it's okay," Ash said hurriedly, taking a step closer to her.  
"I'm Ash," he said calmly, as he held out his hand. "And this is Misty," he added, glancing over his shoulder at her. Misty took a few steps forward.  
The girl didn't take his hand, instead she kept her distance.  
"I'm Selicia," she spoke, her voice small.  
"Can we help you with anything?" Misty asked her kindly, though she was somewhat cautious.  
Selicia shook her head, placing her hands on the rock as she stepped down from it.  
"No, I'm fine," she said simply, though a quiver in her voice told them otherwise. "You can go."  
At this, Misty looked to Ash, the same worried look planted on both of their faces.  
"If you need anything, you can tell us," Misty said kindly, as she stepped forward and placed her hand over Selicia's. As she did, Misty gasped. Her hand was freezing cold, like ice.  
Misty jumped back, and Selicia did the same, groaning before she suddenly stood still on the spot with her eyes closed.  
"Her hand, it was as cold as ice," Misty told Ash, her eyes and voice full of fear.  
"What?" Ash asked, suddenly feeling afraid as well.  
"No, no…"  
Ash and Misty turned suddenly. Selicia was kneeling on the ground, her head in her hands as she whimpered. Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes intense with dread and distress.  
"You…you have to stay away…" she cried, her body shaking as she stood.  
Ash put his arm in front of Misty as they backed away from the girl.  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
"You have to stay away from Saffron City or you're going to die!" Selicia wailed, tears pouring down her face as she looked straight into Misty's eyes.  
Misty paled in horror, her hands shaking as they took another step back.  
"You'll drown…" she moaned, looking at Misty in desperation. "You have to believe me. You can't go there… He said…he's going to make you pay for what you did to…Marina…" she cried, the desperation in her voice sending chills up Misty's spine.  
Misty gasped in shock, frozen to the spot.  
"How do you know…" she began, but was cut off as Ash spoke.  
"Misty, we're going," Ash said as he took her hand and pulled her away. She could hardly feel her legs moving as they ran, her surroundings drowned out by the voice in her head.  
Marina…Make you pay… What you did to Marina…  
And all she could see when she looked back were the helpless eyes of a young girl, their intensity fading as they got further away.

_To be continued…_


	2. Panic

Haunted

By Kawaii Cherry Blossom

Notes: The song 'Dare You To Move' is owned by Switchfoot and their record company.

Chapter 2

Panic

The flickering amber flames of fire sparkled as it burned in the fireplace of the small room that Ash and Misty had rented to stay in. It was the only hotel in town, consisting of ten very old rooms that each had two beds, a bathroom, a fireplace, a TV and a few cooking facilities. Not much, but it suited them alright and sheltered them from the cool air outside. A tear trickled down Misty's face but she quickly wiped it away, her eyes fixed on the burning flames. Her eyes drooped slightly, but there was no way she could go to sleep. Memories of the past flooded back into her mind and cut at her like a knife piercing the skin. But how had that girl known? She knew about Marina. And if she knew about that, did that mean she was right about the other things she'd said…?

"Misty, what are you still doing awake?" she heard a soft, sleepy voice say. Turning her head around, she saw Ash standing behind her, dressed in black track pants and a blue t-shirt. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, before moving forward to sit down beside his female companion. They sat in silence for a few moments, the crackling of the flames the only thing that could be heard.

"It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep…" she said quietly, but the tone of her voice wasn't so convincing.

"Misty, I've known you for what, eight years now? Do you really think I'm going to buy such an obvious lie?" he said, his tone humourous but he was deadly serious.

"It's just… I'm kind of freaked out by what that girl said…" she told him. Turning her head for a moment, she looked into his eyes and he could see the worry in hers.

"You are? What…do you think she was for real?"

"I don't know…"

"What makes you think she might be?"

"I don't know…"

"Do you really not know?" he asked, and she didn't reply as she turned and stared straight ahead.

"Misty, is there something you're not telling me here?"

Misty looked down for a moment, and a few orange strands of hair fell out of their loose ponytail and cascaded across her cheeks.

"No," she replied simply.

"Really?"

"Ash, why are you pressing this? If someone came up to you and told you that you were going to die, wouldn't you be a little afraid?" she said, slightly angry at him though she knew he was only asking because he cared. There were some things, however, that she just couldn't share with him.

He paused for a moment to stare at her. Was she lying? Probably. Misty had always been incredibly good at hiding anything that pained her.

"Well…I'll tell you what. Since we're in Lavender, we'll go and do some research. I mean, if this girl is for real then people would probably know about it, or there would be things in newspapers. Don't they have a huge library in town?" he replied. Misty nodded.

"Yeah, there is."

"Alright, then it's settled. Tomorrow we'll go and see what we can find out. Does that make you feel better?" he asked caringly. Once again, she nodded, though she did feel better about it.

"Good…" he said softly.

Misty sighed slightly then, her shoulders hunching over in tiredness as her eyes drooped again. He glanced at her for a moment and knew for sure that there was something more to the situation. Misty was never this serious without a reason.

"Misty," he said, his voice smooth like a soft breeze. She turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"I would _never _let anything happen to you," he said, and she nodded, still keeping her eyes on his. The honesty in his eyes had always amazed her. She'd never known such a sincere person as Ash. His eyes were like windows to his heart.

She felt like crying then, letting her emotions pour out and telling him everything, about Marina, about the accident, and about the pain that had followed. But how could she? What if he jumped to conclusions and then never spoke to her again? She'd lost so much in her life, but if she lost Ash… She honestly didn't believe she could face the world, not without him. And she felt stupid for thinking of that, because it seemed like a clichéd romance movie's plot line, but it was true. It was true as the fact that the sky is blue…

"Are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her left shoulder. She paused for a moment, and then nodded. Glancing his way, she gave him a slight smile before turning back to the flames.

0

Misty looked up at the huge stone building that was the Lavender Town Library, renowned for its huge history collection. She was nervous, he could tell, because she was fiddling with her silver necklace.

"I don't remember the last time I went in a library," Ash said sheepishly, though he was serious. Misty glanced at him, an eyebrow raised, but didn't say anything as he smirked back. Shaking her head, she walked forward through the huge wooden doors that formed the entrance. The inside of the library seemed just as gloomy as the whole town. The walls were grey, as was the furniture. She could see one person reading a newspaper to the left of her, but other than that the only people around were the ones that worked there.

"So, where do we start?" Ash asked as he came up behind her.

"Well…maybe we should ask someone," she suggested as she glanced around, before spotting a girl with a badge on. She was putting books back onto the shelf as they approached her.

"Excuse me," Misty said, and the girl turned, a smile on her face. That must have been the first smile they'd seen since they'd entered Lavender. Her badge indicated that her name was Mandy.

"We're looking for information on local events and people. Do you know where we should look?" Misty asked politely. The girl nodded, pushing a few strands of black hair off of her face.

"You should try the computers. There's a software program that has all of our newspaper records stored. That would be the best place to start off," she explained. "Our computers are just to the right of the counter, over there," she explained as she pointed. "Just use 'visitor' as your user name and password. To get to the records, click on the newspaper icon on the desktop."

"Okay, thanks," Misty smiled slightly, and Mandy nodded, before turning back to the shelves.

That feeling of nervousness grew within Misty as she made her way to the computers, Ash following behind her. In a way, she didn't want to even attempt to find information on this girl, but she knew she had to.

Both Ash and Misty sat down at a computer each, and logged in.

"Mist, what do I do?" Ash asked her, half whining as he stared at the screen blankly. Rolling her eyes, Misty smirked as she pointed to the icon of a rolled up newspaper.

"Double-click on that," she said, and he did so. She did the same on her own computer, and was greeted with an image of the '_Lavender Town Press'_, as it was apparently called.

Ignoring Ash as he banged on the keyboard, she brought up a search and typed in 'Selicia'.

"Misty, it's not working!" Ash whined as pressed a few random keys.

"Misty, I think I broke it…" he added a few moments later. "Nothing is moving...seriously…"

"I found something," Misty cut him off as she stared at the headline of the newspaper article, dated the thirteenth of March, two years ago.

"Really?" Ash asked as he scooted his chair closer to her. "What is it?"

"Young Girl Predicts Accident," she read the headline. Next to it there was a photo of, sure enough, a slightly younger looking Selicia.

"You're joking…" Ash said as stared at the screen.

"Witnesses reported the teenager, later found to be 14-year-old Selicia Adams, as frantic as she screamed for somebody to call emergency services," Misty read, dread seeping through her voice. "'She was panicked, and screamed out that there was going to be a car accident,' a witness told The Press. Just minutes later, a car came screeching around the corner before it slammed head-first into another…"

Ash was silent as Misty stopped reading, and stared straight ahead. The colour drained from her face, and her hands were shaking as she closed the program, causing Selicia's photo to disappear from sight.

"That is so weird…" Ash spoke, now feeling a sudden force of fear inside.

"Then it's true…"

"Misty…"

"No, Ash, she's right. If I go to Saffron, I'll die," she said, facing him. She was panicked now, dread rising up within her as her fears became reality. He looked into her eyes worriedly, and then placed a hand on her arm softly.

"Don't worry Misty, you know you're safe with me here," he said, but she wasn't reassured.

"You mean you think we should go?" she asked, her eyes questioning him incredously.

Ash glanced around. Their conversation seemed so loud in the silence that adorned their surroundings.

"Let's go outside," he said as he stood up. He beckoned her to follow, and she did, still shaking and fearing that he really wanted to go to Saffron.

0

They walked back through the library until they got outside. Clouds barred any light from the sky. Not that they'd expected anything else.

"Ash, are you seriously saying we should go?" she said, her angry voice wavering as she stopped walking and stood on the spot.

He turned, glancing at the ground before looking back up at her. His face was serious, he had the sort of look that he wore when he was worried about one of his Pokémon, or when he was thinking about a battle strategy.

"I think we should go and talk to Sabrina," he said.

"But she's in Saffron!" Misty replied, still panic-stricken.

"I know, but she's the only person who can help us…"

"She can't help us if I'm dead!"

"Misty, don't talk like that!"

"Ash, you're acting like you don't even care that I'm in serious trouble here!" she yelled at him, her eyes blazing with fear.

"Of course I care! I can't believe you'd even think that! I'm trying to help!" he retorted.

Misty kept her eyes on him for a few moments, before turning and walking a few steps to a stretch of grass. Sitting down, she brought her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes. He glanced at her worriedly, and a few moments later, went to sit beside her.

He didn't say anything, but instead waited for her to tell him to get lost. A minute later, he was surprised to find that she hadn't.

"Misty…"

"I'm really scared, Ash…" she cut him off, and he could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, it's okay..."

"No it's not…"

"I'm going to protect you," he said. "I promise. Don't you believe me?"

She turned her head and a tear streamed down her left cheek.

"What if you can't?"

"That's not going to happen."

"You don't know that, Ash."

He sighed defeatedly. Deep down he knew she was right. His pride told him that he should stand up for her, or at least try. But the risk was too great. He could never face losing her.

"Life was a lot better when it was simpler, wasn't it?" he said, his voice soft.

She didn't reply, but he went on anyway.

"When we were kids, all we had to worry about was Team Rocket stealing our Pokémon. And even that wasn't anything to stress about."

Misty stopped herself from sighing. She wished her childhood had been that simple. If only Ash knew…

He paused for a few moments, taking a moment to reflect on his past memories as he looked up at the looming, grey sky.

"Come on, let's go," he said moments later as he stood up. Looking down at Misty, he offered her a hand.

"Where?"

"I have a plan," he said with a slight smile. His eyes told the truth as usual, and she found herself taking his hand and letting him pull her up.

"Alright, let's hear it," she said as they started walking away from the Library.

"Well, since it's too dangerous for us to go to Saffron, why don't I ask Sabrina to come here?"

"Do you think she'd have time? I mean, she's a busy gym leader."

"I'm sure she could squeeze us in. And it's not like she has travel time to worry about really," he replied with a smirk.

"I guess… Do you really think she can help?"

"Sure. She knows everything about psychic abilities and telepathy, after all."

Misty glanced down at the ground, thinking. This could really work. And if she stayed away from Saffron, she wouldn't be in any danger. Glancing back up at him, she nodded.

"Alright, let's see what happens then…"

He gave her a smile, glad that she agreed, when suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. A look of terror crossed her face as she whipped around, looking sharply into the distance.

"Misty, what's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

No reply came as she continued to glance around, but a sigh soon followed as she let down her defenses a few moments later.

"I guess it was nothing," she said as she turned back around. "I just felt like someone was watching us."

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

"Yeah, fine," she lied, and she could tell he didn't buy it. "Let's go…"

0

Misty was relieved to arrive back at their cabin. Sure, it was as dull as the rest of the town but at least it had a TV to project a bit of colour into all the grey. Misty sat on the edge of her bed and turned the TV on. MTV erupted onto the screen in a colourful daze one second later. Satisfied, she sat back against her pillow.

Ash walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with two glasses of water, before handing her one.

"Thanks," she said as she took it. "So when are we gonna call Sabrina?"

"Well actually…_I'm_ going to call Sabrina, right now…"

"How? We don't have a phone in here."

"I'm going to go down to the Pokémon Centre and use their video phone," he replied.

"Okay, I'll come with you…" she proceeded to sit up.

"No," he cut her off. Pausing, she glanced up at his serious face.

"I think you should stay here, where you'll be safe. I'll go and be back in fifteen minutes tops, hopefully with Sabrina."

"Oh, alright…" she replied, nodding. He studied her face for a moment then, trying to figure out how she was feeling about the situation, but not surprisingly, he couldn't tell.

"Just stay inside, and don't open the door if anyone knocks," he told her, and she nodded.

"Sure."

"Okay, well…I'll see you soon," he said and then made his way to the door. Putting his hand on the knob, he went to turn it but paused, as if he wanted to say something. And he did, but logic told him that he shouldn't. No, he shouldn't.

Ash turned the knob and stepped outside, before closing the door. A feeling of edginess was welling up within him, but he put it down to concern. Misty was safe in the room, so he didn't have to worry about that. All he had to do now was convince Sabrina to come…

0

The Lavender Town Pokémon Centre was small, and like all of the other buildings in town, a grey stone building. He walked through the doors and up to the counter, and sure enough, he was greeted by a Nurse Joy.

"Welcome to the Lavender Town Pokémon Centre," she said chirpily, and Ash wondered how she could be so happy all the time when she worked in a place like this.

"Hi," Ash said. "Can I please use your phone?"

"Sure," she replied and pointed to the right. "It's just in the corner over there."

He nodded and walked over to it. It was an old video phone, like the type they had when he was a kid, but it would do. Pulling his small leather address book out of his pocket, he flipped through the pages until he found the number for the Saffron City gym, and then dialed it.

"This is the Saffron City Gym, how may I help you?" a young girl with dark purple hair appeared on the screen two rings later.

"Hi, may I please speak to Sabrina?" he asked politely.

"Sabrina's very busy at the moment…"

"Please, it's an emergency," he told her, a desperate look in his eyes. "She's an old friend of mine; just tell her it's Ash Ketchum."

"Oh, alright then…" the girl looked unsure. "Just hold the line, I'll put you through."

"Thank you so much," he said, and she nodded, giving him a smile.

"No problem."

The screen went black for a few seconds as the phone rang through. A few seconds later, a stressed looking Sabrina appeared. She looked much the same, with her dark green hair and deep purple eyes. Her black jacket made them appear even more intense.

"Hello…oh, hi Ash!" she said, looking very surprised.

"Hey Sabrina, it's been a while…" he replied. "How are you?"

"Right now, don't ask, there's so much going on over here," she said with a slight laugh.

"Oh…"

"What about you? What have you been up to? And how come you're calling?" she finally asked, and he sighed.

"Well, actually, we're in a bit of trouble, and I was wondering if you can help… But if you're too busy…"

"Ash, you practically saved my life all those years ago," she cut him off. "So what's wrong? How can I help you?"

He smiled at her gratefully, relief rushing through him as he heard the words.

"Well…have you heard of a girl called Selicia Adams?" he asked, and didn't like the look on her face when she heard him.

"Yes, I have… Why?"

"The other day, we met her, and she said something that freaked us out…" he said slowly. "She told us that if Misty goes to Saffron City, she'll die."

Sabrina gasped, much to Ash's dismay.

"Where are you now, Ash?" she asked hurriedly.

"The Lavender Town Pokémon Centre," he replied. "Our next stop is Saffron City, but we're too afraid to go near there because we looked up Selicia and found out that she has predicted the future before."

Nodding, Sabrina looked worried.

"Alright, hang up the phone and I'll be right there."

He nodded and did so.

Less than thirty seconds later, she appeared in front of him.

0

"You have no idea how much it means that you could come," Ash said as he and Sabrina walked quickly back to the hotel.

"As I said, Ash, I owe you," she replied with a slight smile, as if she were remembering the day when he'd freed her from the hold that her psychic powers had over her.

"So how do you know Selicia?" Ash asked seriously.

"Her father brought her to me a few years back, asking whether I could help her to control her powers. As you suspected, she does have the power to predict the future," she explained. "Tell me, did Misty touch her at all?"

"Actually…she did," Ash replied after a moment of thought. "Selicia seemed really hesitant, like she wouldn't come near us. But Misty leant down to touch her hand and that's when she went all weird."

"Right, Selicia gets visions of people's futures when she's touched by that person."

"So that's why she didn't want to come near us…" Ash realised, and Sabrina nodded.

"What do you think we should do?" Ash asked.

"We have to take Misty to Selicia and get Selicia to look into her future again," she said. "Her future could have changed, or it might be the same. If it is the same, Selicia will be able to tell us exactly what she sees. That way, we might be able to figure out who is after her. We may then have a chance of turning the events around."

"Alright, that sounds like a plan."

As they came up to the hotel, Ash took the key out of his jeans pocket.

"Well, here we are."

He could hear the music still coming from inside.

"_Welcome to the planet_

_Welcome to existence_

_Everyone's here_

_Everyone's here_

_Everybody's watching you now_

_Everybody waits for you now_

_What happens next?_

_What happens next?"_

After turning the key in the lock, he pushed through the door into the room. Expecting to see Misty still sitting on the bed, he was surprised when she wasn't there.

"Misty?" he called out, thinking she might be in the bathroom.

But no, the door to the bathroom was open.

Dread washed over him, shocking him like freezing cold water.

"Misty!" he called once again as he tore through the room and into the bathroom. Sure enough, it was empty. He walked back out, and noticed Sabrina staring at the window.

"Ash…" she pointed at it, fear in her voice.

The glass was cracked, the hole big enough for someone to fit through.

"_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened before."_

"Oh God…" Ash moaned. "Someone's come in here…" he ran over to inspect the window. A brick lay outside, obviously having been used to smash through it. Shards of glass lay both inside and outside, and as he was glancing down, something shiny caught his eye.

He leant down to pick it up, feeling as if the shards of glass on the ground were slicing through his sole.

In his hand, he held the silver necklace he'd given Misty for her eighteenth birthday. She wore it every day. Squeezing it into his hand, he put it into his pocket and stalked over to the door.

"We have to go."

"Wait, where?" Sabrina asked. He put his hand on the door.

"To find her!" he yelled, anxiety falling out of his voice like a waterfall.

"Wait, Ash…"

"No, we can't wait!" he turned, and his eyes burned with panic. "I promised Misty that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I gave her my word! She could be hurt or in danger or…" he stopped then, breathing heavily as he faced the brick wall that was reality.

"We have to go, now…" he said, and walked out of the door.

"_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened_

_Today never happened before…"_

_To be continued…_

Hehehehe… I feel very mean for ending it here, but hey, cliffhangers are what keep people glued! I hope you guys are enjoying the story. It's going to have about 4 parts. Please leave a review if you have any comments (or flames, lol). Next chapter will be out soon. :)

Love and light,

Sarah.


	3. Rain

**Haunted**

**By Kawaii Cherry Blossom**

Chapter Three

_Rain_

Ash's veins pumped as he ran, the scenery flying past him. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, or what he was going to do. All he knew was that he had to find her, had to see her safe. He tried to make himself believe that somehow, she'd gotten away and was hiding out somewhere. But something inside him, instinct maybe, told him otherwise.

"Ash!" he heard Sabrina call out once again. And once again, he ignored her.

A moment later, she appeared in front of him. As though slamming on the breaks, he jolted to a stop, an angry look crossing his face.

"What do you think you're doing? We can't afford to waste any time!"

"Ash, just listen to me for a second!" she pleaded, obviously becoming frustrated.

Finally, he stopped fighting, instead resorting to sighing impatiently.

"We can't just go running around town. We don't even know if she's in Lavender anymore, whoever has her could've taken her anywhere."

She wasn't helping the anxiety rippling through his veins.

"Then what do you propose we do?" he asked, his patience running thinner.

"We have to find Selicia," she replied simply, in her same monotoned voice.

"Why? What can she do?"

"If she predicted this, then she should be able to give us more information," she explained. "For example, if she concentrates, she might be able to see the surroundings that were in her prediction."

"So she could tell us where they are…" Ash nodded, making sense of what she was saying.

"It would be a lot quicker than running around aimlessly," she added, and Ash nodded.

"Where do you think Selicia could be?" he asked.

"I can try to pick up her energy signal…" Sabrina said hesitantly.

"But?" he asked knowingly.

"I've only just started learning how to do it, so I'm not sure if it'll work."

"It's worth a try though," Ash said hurriedly, growing impatient once again. He wanted to get moving, he hated sitting around when someone was in trouble.

OoOoOoOoO

Sabrina nodded, and a moment later closed her eyes. A light blue aura surrounded her as she concentrated hard on picking up the girl's energy signal. She was lucky that she already knew her; otherwise this wouldn't have been possible. A minute passed and still, she couldn't find anything. She could sense Ash was becoming more anxious. Suddenly though, something ticked over in her brain. There she was.

"She's still in Lavender," Sabrina said, and Ash's head snapped to look at her.

"You're sure?" he asked, hope filling his eyes.

"Yes."

"Let's go," he said, and they took off, Sabrina leading him in the direction that the girls' energy had come from.

OoOoOoOoO

It took them just over ten minutes to reach their destination, and sure enough, when they did, Selicia was there. She stood leaning against the wall of another small, grey building, which he guessed must have been her house. Her black hair glistened in what remained of the sunlight, which was quickly disappearing behind threatening grey clouds. When they approached her, her eyes were closed, but they could tell that she knew they were there. Ash muttered a few grateful thank you's underneath his breath when he saw her.

"Selicia," he stated her name simply as he moved forward, his arm outstretched and a desperate look on his face.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked afraid. Pushing away from the wall, she put her foot back and stepped carefully away from them.

"No, don't go, please," Ash pleaded, his eyes still desperate and his voice tangled in distress. A lump developed in his throat, and the familiar sting of tears threatened his eyes. "We need your help, please…" he continued, keeping himself together. With every second that ticked by he became more anxious, countless images of Misty in danger playing through his head like movies on a television with no 'off' button.

Selicia hesitated, panic still present in her eyes.

"I told you not to go there…" she murmured, her voice trembling as she shook her head.

"But we didn't!" he quickly replied, hoping to catch her attention before she tried to run away. And he did.

"What…?"

"We were in the Lavender Hotel, I went out for a few minutes, and now she's gone," he explained, trying to stay calm.

"It…changed…?" she began to breathe heavily, closing her eyes as if in pain.

"Selicia," Sabrina stepped forward as she spoke, commanding attention with her voice. Opening her eyes again, Selicia looked tired and drained of energy.

"We need you to describe the situation and the surroundings that you saw when Misty touched you," Sabrina explained.

"I don't…I don't remember…"

"Yes you do. Just think back," Sabrina's words told her that she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Selicia was trembling as she closed her eyes in concentration, and Ash felt sorry for her, but was so desperate to find out what she knew that he didn't interrupt. Sabrina knew what she was doing, after all.

A few moments later, Selicia opened her eyes as a shocked look crossed her face.

"It really has changed…"

"What did you see?" Ash pleaded desperately.

Once again, Selicia hesitated, but gave in when she met Ash's stare, and closed her eyes to watch the scene playing in her head.

"A bridge, and…a storm… He's holding her over the edge… The sea is vicious and the waves are huge…"

Ash gasped in horror, feeling sicker with every word she spoke.

"It's raining hard and she can't get away, and then…" she opened her eyes as she stopped, not wanting to continue but knowing she'd be forced to.

"What? What is it!" he hadn't meant to yell at her, but somehow he couldn't contain his apprehension. He just needed to know, and now. He was scared, but some part of him believed that perhaps there was some hope left, that what Selicia saw wasn't a bad thing, and the whole situation had changed for the better.

"He drops her."

That shred of hope disappeared, like a fire being extinguished by water. He froze, unsure of what to do or how to react. He knew he had to go, but didn't know where or how. He heard thunder crack in the distance, and another wave of fear washed over him, soaking him in its dread.

OoOoOoOoO

The next thing he remembered was running, and running hard. His mind was ticking in fast forward as one hundred thoughts swarmed through at a time, attacking him like bee stings.

A bridge

The nearest one to here is the one that leads to Sunny Town

The storm is coming from that direction

Please let her be okay

Please don't let her be hurt or…

Suddenly, he heard the screech of tires behind him, and whipped around to see a dark blue car pulling over beside him. He began to panic, but calmed when the window was winded down to reveal Sabrina.

"Get in," she said seriously, and he did so.

Mindlessly, he closed the door and put on his seatbelt as she put the car in drive and sped off. He didn't even ask where she'd got the car from, didn't care. Thick drops of rain beat down on the windshield, obscuring Sabrina's vision as she drove. The sky was blackening with every second, only lit up by the sparks of lightning that danced across the horizon sporadically.

There was no conversation between them. Ash guessed that she'd read his mind and knew where it was he wanted to go. He would have been freaked out by that but right now he could care less. There was just one person on his mind, and that was Misty. He felt immense guilt at the fact that he'd left her alone. He should have stayed with her, should have known better than to be so careless. Though he knew that Misty could take care of herself, he also knew that fate could get in the way of that. He was afraid for her, and couldn't face the possibility that she was hurt. So, he tried not to think about it, instead concentrating on the scenery whipping past them like a video in fast forward.

OoOoOoOoO

Misty creaked her eyes open. They felt so heavy that the simple task of opening them became that much harder. She was confused, and right away, she panicked. First because her mouth was covered with some kind of material, then because she was tied up, and then because she had no idea where she was. Groaning, she glanced around. She was inside some kind of wherehouse. Wooden crates lay around her, and she sat leaning against one, her arms and feet tied together tightly. All she could see were boxes and empty space, this looked like a storage room more than anything else, but…

_What is this… Where am I…?_

A crack of thunder and the sound of rain told her that there was storm outside. To the left of her was a window, and as she glanced outside, she noticed it was dark. The only thing lighting up the sky was a flash of lightning, that flashed like a light, on and off, a moment later.

_Wait… If it's dark, how long have I been here? Where is Ash…? Why am I tied up?_

Panicked, she searched through her memories to find an answer, but she couldn't. Until a few moments later, when it all came flooding back to her.

A smash through the window

She didn't recognise the man, it had all happened too quickly

He'd jumped through and pinned her down, and pressed something against her mouth

But that was all she remembered.

Her eyes filled with tears at the uncertainty of the situation. Who had brought her here? She guessed it had something to do with Selicia's prediction, but she had told them that something would happen when they got to Saffron. And she'd also told them that she was going to die…

Wriggling, she attempted to find a way to rid herself of the ropes that binded her, and tried to make a sound through the bind over her mouth. But it was no use, she could neither move or make a sound.

"You're awake," she heard a deep voice, and her head snapped up in fear. Her heart was beating fast, and her breaths were sharp, as she looked up into the eyes of...

_What…?_

"Hello, Miss Waterflower," he said, his voice full of malice and his eyes full of hate.

Slowly, he walked forward and bent down in front of her. It was definitely him, she knew it for sure. He'd gotten older but he still looked the same, he still had eyes like she'd had, a brilliant blue. But his were dark now, their former brightness replaced.

"You've grown into a beautiful woman," he commented, his voice staying low and his expression the same. "Just like she would have been…"

Misty stared up at him, terror in her eyes. She wriggled her hands and looked at him pleadingly, but he just laughed wickedly.

"It's your fault it happened," he said a moment later, his voice cold, like ice. "It's your fault she's dead. She could have done so much with her life, but thanks to you that won't happen!" he was getting louder as he kept talking, growing angrier with every word he spoke.

Misty's eyes filled with tears as her mind filled with memories. It had happened so long ago, but she could remember it so vividly in her mind. Every feeling, every emotion, it was always there, inside of her. She hadn't ever properly helped herself to dispel all that was bottled up inside. She'd never talked to anyone about it, just kept it there, lying dormant.

_'But it wasn't my fault…'_ she wanted to say. '_There was nothing I could do to save her…'_

"Don't cry," he said, standing up and taking a step back. "I'm going to help you. I'm going to help you to repent for what you did, what you caused. I'll help…"

He walked away then, leaving Misty to cry tears of fear, helplessness, horror. She was facing death, she knew. She was trembling violently, and though she knew it was useless, she tried to scream once again.

But the only sound she heard was the pounding of the increasingly heavy rain, beating down on the roof.

_To be continued…_

Sorry! I know that's a terrible place to stop (for you anyway :P). I really hope you're liking it so far! I've said before that I don't usually write in this genre so I hope it's working...heh.

Review if you have any comments! I really appreciate them, good or bad. :)

Love and light,

Sarah.


	4. Facing the Nightmare

**Haunted**

**By Kawaii Cherry Blossom**

For the people reading on – I'm sorry about the paragraphing. For some reason it always gets cut out when I post anything. I've put in OoOoO breaks between parts but the paragraphs will seem close together. I'm sorry!

Chapter Four

_Face the Nightmare_

Throughout his entire life, Ash could not remember a time when he had been this afraid. He had encountered endless terrors on his journeys, from huge, threatening Pokémon to extreme weather, but nothing greeted him with as much horror as was pent up within him at that moment. This time, it was personal. This time, the life of his best friend, the person he loved most in the world, was in his hands.

At that thought, he glanced down at his hands. They were trembling, just another reminder of how terrified he was. Gulping, he tried to slow his breaths and calm himself down. He could face this, he told himself. Misty would be fine, he _was_ going to save her. He _was_ going to see her again.

A fresh gust of rain pelted down upon the windscreen of the car. Sabrina pushed turned the lever to the left of the steering wheel, causing the wipers to dash back and forth across the screen frantically. Each swipe seemed to increase Ash's anxiousness, the sound seeming to become louder and louder with each movement. Or maybe he was just imagining things.

"How are you holding up, Ash?" Sabrina had obviously sensed his discomfort.

"I…I'm fine, just worried about Misty…" he stammered a reply, not sounding very confident.

"Do you have a plan?"

"I don't even know what to expect."

She didn't reply, but instead concentrated on keeping the car on its belly as they rounded a sharp corner. The tires screeched and the passenger side lifted into the air before it finally hit the ground, bouncing as Sabrina put her foot on the pedal harder and the car steamed forward.

"We're almost there, just another few minutes," she told him, and he felt both relieved and more nervous.

oOoOoO

Misty's anxious sobs were muffled through the cloth that covered her mouth. Her head spun with fear. She had no idea of what was about to happen to her. The storm didn't seem to be slowing, not helping the situation. She could hear rain pelting down upon the room of the van she had been thrown into the back of. Still tied up, she was helpless and could barely move, except for being thrown across the cabin as her captor drove speedily and very carelessly. They had stopped now, but she had no idea where they were. There was no window to see out of, only darkness met her desperate, pleading gaze.

_I didn't mean for her to get hurt… It couldn't save her, it was impossible… But…I didn't even try… What kind of friend am I?_

Her small breaths were raspy, her throat dry. Even if her mouth wasn't covered, she doubted she would be able to scream. And who would hear her?

Her mind kept drifting to all of the things she would miss out on if he were to kill her. She had her whole life ahead of her, and so many plans and dreams. She would never see her friends or her family again, her sisters, Brock, Ash…

Ash... Why hadn't she ever told him that she like, no, loved him? Love. It was a powerful word, she knew, but she had no doubt in her mind that the feelings she had towards her best friend were just that. She longed for him to be beside her, holding her tightly and promising that she would never have to fear anything again. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine him there, but couldn't escape the reality that she was tied to. Emptiness filled her heart, and she felt alone. Her worst fear…was to be alone.

oOoOoO

A light. Ash's heart leapt at the slightly familiar setting of a small room, sitting on the side of the road just before the bridge leading to Sunny Town. They would have driven right past it and onto the bridge, but the gate had been lowered, not allowing any vehicles to pass. Sabrina hit the brakes as she pulled up beside the room, and the car stopped abruptly, making Ash thank himself for remembering to put his seatbelt on. A faint light shone from inside, but there was nobody at the closed window. His determination to see Misty driving him, he unbuckled himself and forced the door of the car open, before stepping out into the pouring rain. A crack of lightning lit up the sky as he raced over to the window, before proceeding to bang on the glass.

"Please, is there somebody in there!" Ash called desperately. Each second that he heard or saw no response shattered and beat his already broken soul. Finally, though, a man in a blue uniform came to the window.

Looking both surprised and suspicious to see anyone there, he narrowed his eyebrows at Ash as he opened the window a few centimetres.

"What are you doing here, kid? You're getting drenched!"

Ash had barely noticed.

"Please, can you open the gate? I need to get on the bridge, you have to hurry," he pleaded.

"Sorry kid, no can do. The bridge was just closed off because of the storm. You can't go through."

"No, you don't understand!" he was yelling now; his tears mixed with the rain as they poured down his cheeks, soaking his face. "My friend is in danger, I have to get on the bridge!"

Complete devastation invaded Ash, then, as the guard shook his head and muttered an apology. Ash guessed that he was about to offer some sort of alternative solution, but he didn't bother to hear him out, and instead raced back to the car.

Clambering in, he kneeled on the passenger seat, soaking it with the water that he was drenched in. He was panicky now, trembling with both fear and determination, though his eyes were desperate.

"He won't open the bridge," he stated, his words clambering over one another as he tried to speak faster than he could. Then, he backed out of the car, standing up outside as the rain washed over him.

"Ash!" Sabrina called. "Don't even think about it! You can't go alone!"

"I can't wait. If something happens to her I'll die," he had to yell over the rain and rumble of thunder that cracked through the sky. "Call the police, tell them to get here as quick as they can! Please, understand, I can't sit here and wait!"

Though she looked reluctant to let him go, Sabrina knew that she was beaten, and that nothing was going to stop him from running off.

"Be careful," she told him calmly as she nodded, and he nodded back in understanding.

One second later, he was off, heading towards the bridge with a speed that could only have been driven by his longing to see Misty safe.

"Hey, you!" the guard called out, and busted through the door of the small room.

Sabrina turned her head towards him. Her eyes glowed blue as he was lifted into the air and sent back into the cabin.

oOoOoO

"Please, let me go!" Misty shrieked, tears gathering in her eyes, as he removed the bind around her mouth.

"There's no use in screaming, no one can hear you in this storm," the man warned, his twisted smile baring down on her as she struggled.

Letting out a sob, Misty tried to control herself and pull her emotions together. She barely had a chance, though, as he pulled her up forcefully and tugged her, like a rag doll, out of the back of the van.

Again, she tried to struggle, but her attempts were feeble and pointless, as he dragged her to the side of the road, to the rails of the bridge. Instantly, she wondered why someone hadn't made those rails higher.

He had a tight grip on her thin arm, and she felt like he was going to snap it as he waved her around carelessly, before holding her still, over the rail.

Misty glanced down in horror at the scene below. Waves rose up and crashed down with mighty force, pulling the ocean's water in the direction they traveled. Sharp rocks protruded up from the seabed, looming dangerously below. She was sure to die, if not by the rocks then by the ocean, which the storm had turned into a deathbed capable of killing the strongest swimmer. Not even the Pokemon in the ocean could save her, for they would all be hibernating, waiting for the storm to pass so that they could live in safety.

It was ironic, really, that she was about to be killed by the one thing that she had always felt most empowered by. The ocean had always been her friend, something that she could relate to, but now it was about to end her life.

Barely able to breathe, Misty couldn't scream anymore. Her throat was dry and her eyes the very picture of terror, her pupils frozen as she glanced down at the hell that awaited her.

"Please…" she choked out feebly.

She was greeted by laughter, maniacal laughter, as the man roughly grabbed hold of her other arm and spun her so that they were facing each other.

"Don't say you didn't deserve this," he hissed viciously, as if he were trying to kill her with his words. "Marina is dead because of you, and now you will suffer the same fate as she did."

oOoOoO

Ash cursed the fact that he didn't have any of his Pokémon with him, having left them at the Pokémon Centre before Misty was kidnapped. He wasn't at all certain on his plan to get her back, another burden of fear that encompassed him with its pressure. He wished that the rain would back off, but instead it seemed to be getting heavier. Each gust of wind blew it into his face and body, each drop carrying the pain and force of a single ice beam. It was dark on the bridge, the lights appeared to be either not on or not working.

Trying not to think about it, but instead focus on his goal, he pressed ahead, trying to see through the darkness and the sheets of rain bucketing down, obscuring his vision.

Suddenly, he noticed a black van parked on the side of the road. It was almost invisible in the darkness, but it certainly looked suspicious. The back cabin had been left open, and after he'd carefully wandered over to it, he discovered it to be empty. He struggled to hear any sort of sound through the wind and rain echoing around him, and gasped in horror when he heard a scream ring out through the air.

_Misty_

Poking his head out from behind the door of the van, he saw them. A man dressed completely in black was holding Misty over the edge of the bridge, trying to push her over the railing. She was tied up and barely able to struggle, helpless in the hands of a maniac.

Facing his nightmare, Ash froze for a second, his eyes glued to the horror in front of his eyes. It wasn't as terribly shocking as he'd imagined it to be. It was worse.

Then, without another moments hesitation, he ran out from behind the truck. A crash of thunder sounded as he dashed towards Misty, praying desperately for the time to reach her.

"I couldn't do anything to save her!" he heard her shriek.

"Misty!" Ash screamed, stopping a few metres from the man, who looked like he was about to let go of her.

"Ash! Oh, Ash…" she cried as she caught sight of him.

"How the hell?" the man muttered, not moving from his place. "Not another step or she's a goner!" he called out, and Ash held out his hands, taking a deep breath to calm his thudding heart.

"Please," Ash called to him desperately. "Let her go, I beg you. I'll give you anything you want, just let her go!"

"You can't give me my daughter back! You can't bring her back to me!" he yelled back gruffly, confusing Ash.

"Ash, be careful, please!" Misty cried. He glanced up quickly, meeting her eyes for a moment.

"She has to die, just like my daughter, she has to suffer too!" he yelled out angrily, and leant further over the railing, leaving Misty to dangle from his grasp. All he had to do was let go and…

"No, please!" Ash pleaded, and for a second he thought he saw resistance in the man's eyes.

Just for a second.

And then the second was gone.

With a final shudder of movement, he sent his arm out further over the railing. Time seemed to slow as he loosened the grip his hand had on Misty's arm.

Ash dashed towards the railing, his heart beating rapidly as he screamed for the man to stop.

Too late.

Misty was left to fall as the man let go of her, before rushing in the direction of his car. Ash arrived at the railing a second later.

"Misty!" he screamed into the darkness. He felt his world collapse; his nightmares win the battle over this bravery and plunge a sword through his heart.

The darkness prevented him from seeing anything but the crashing waves below. He was about to climb over and jump in after her, when suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky.

That's when he saw her.

Dangling from a small handle of metal below, Misty clung helplessly to life. Her face was contorted in fear as she held on for dear life, the ropes tied around her wrists making that extremely difficult.

"Misty, hold on, don't let go!" he called to her, but could barely see her anymore as darkness overtook the sky once again.

"It's too slippery I can't!" she called back, and his face drained of any colour.

"You can, just don't give up!"

"Ash, listen to me!"

"I'm gonna get you up!" he cried, searching around frantically with his eyes for a solution.

"Ash, I love you!" she called, her voice was hysteric, but she didn't stop. He could only just hear her over the wails of the harsh wind. "I never told you because I was afraid, but I do, I love you and I always did! You're the best thing that ever happened to me, the best thing…" she was crying now, as her hands slipped down further. The metal bar wasn't much longer, and she could see the rocks below her, waiting to take her into their painful reality.

"No!" tears blurred his vision but it hardly fazed him as he took hold of the railing with one hand, and sent himself hurtling over the edge.

Ash almost lost his grip as he bounded over the side, but managed to keep hold of the bar.

Reaching down, he stretched his arm as far as he could. Misty looked up at him in horror as he hung above her, threatening his own life to save hers.

"Keep holding on, Mist, you have to!" he called. "You can do it!"

His fingers were wrapped around the bar so tightly that he could barely feel them. Struggling, he reached for Misty's hands, but was just a few centimetres short.

_Come on…_

Bending down as far as he could, his fingers almost slipped loose of the bar, before he reached swiftly and grabbed hold of one of Misty's hands.

Just as he did so, her fingers slipped and she was forced to let go of her own lifegrip, leaving her to dangle like a puppet from Ash's feeble grip.

"Ash, let me go, I'm too heavy!" she called desperately.

"I'm not letting you die! No way!" he replied, gritting his teeth as he attempted to tighten his grip around the fence. His arms were the only link between their life and death, and their strength was failing rapidly under their weight. The beating rain and gushes of wind didn't help.

_I can't fall, please don't let me fall…_

Ash tensed his muscles and tried to pull them up once again. But once again, it was no use.

"Misty?" he called.

"Yeah?"

"I feel the same way, you know," he said, and wished he could look into her beautiful azure eyes as he was saying this. "I was too afraid, so I didn't say anything, but…" he trailed off, trying to keep from screaming out in pain as his arms stung. "I love you…"

Ash's emotional confession was interrupted when something caught his eye. Normally he would've been annoyed by the interruption, but when he saw the rope ladder that was now dangling over the edge of the bridge, all he felt was relief.

"This is Officer Jenny!" they heard a familiar voice call through the wind. "Grab hold of the ladder and we'll pull you up! Be very careful!"

"Misty is tied up!" Ash called back.

"Okay, someone's gonna come down and pull you up!" they heard her a few moments later. "Just hold on!"

A man in a police uniform appeared over the railing thirty seconds later, holding on tightly to the rope ladder. He looked middle-aged and had a medium build, but he looked strong. Though the wind was forcing the ladder to sway, he managed to climb down to their level.

"Take Misty, hurry," Ash instructed him, and the man glanced down, before nodding. He climbed down further until he was beside Misty.

"Hi, Misty," he greeted her. "Now, stay calm, I'm going to get you back up to safety."

She nodded, taking a deep breath and fighting her tears away.

"Okay."

The officer reached over with one of his arms and put it around her waist. His grip was strong and Misty felt secure, but didn't let go of her tight grip on Ash's hand.

"Alright, you can let go of your friend now," the officer instructed. Misty hesitated.

"It's alright Misty, let go," Ash offered her his support.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, just go with the officer!" he called.

After a few moments of indecision, she finally let go of his hand. Ash pulled his now free hand up as Misty and the officer swayed on the rope bridge.

"Pull us up, Jenny!" he called, and the ladder was pulled higher and higher until it reached the top. Ash welcomed a sigh of relief as he saw Misty being pulled over the top, finally safe.

The officer stayed on the ladder, and instructed Jenny to lower it once more. Just as he did so, an onslaught of rain poured down.

Ash's grip on the railing was loosening, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.

_Hurry…_

"I've almost got you!" the officer had sensed his weakness, and was lowering down with the ladder as quickly as he could.

But suddenly, he seemed to be coming really slowly, and tiredness and fatigue were catching up to Ash.

_Hurry…_

"Hold on, kid!"

_Hurry…_

"I'm almost there!"

_Too late…_

Ash felt himself let go of the bar, fear crashing through him as he realised that this was to be his end.

A moment later, he was breathing a sigh of relief, as the officer, having grabbed frantically onto his hand, was pulling him up.

Ash tumbled over the side of the rail, into the strong grip of Officer Jenny. Her blue hair was matted to her face, but genuine concern shone from her eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked kindly, her hands on his shoulders, holding him up, and he nodded.

He was soaked to the bone and trembling with shock, but he quickly ducked away from her, glancing around furiously.

A moment later, he spotted her. She was curled up in a ball on the ground, a few metres from him, shaking violently. The male officer who had saved them rushed over with blankets, but Ash took no notice.

"Misty…" he hurried to her side and kneeled down beside her. Tears sprung to his eyes and he placed his hands on her arms tenderly, reassuring her through his gaze.

The officer handed him a blanket and Ash took it gratefully. Without a word, he placed it around Misty's trembling frame, before moving his hands back to grip her shoulders.

She looked lost inside a nightmare, like she was being tortured by monsters and she couldn't break free.

It took less than thirty seconds for the tears to come, and as she subsided in hysterical sobs, Ash took her into his arms protectively. Her cries poured out like a waterfall, echoing through the rain as she broke down in his arms.

"It's alright…" he comforted her, keeping his voice calm and steady. "I'm here, you're safe, nobody's going to hurt you…"

_To be continued…_

Whoa! That was sure challenging, but I hope you were on edge throughout the chapter! You'll definitely find out what happened with Misty in her past in the next chapter, if you haven't figured it out already… I hope I wasn't too obvious, lol.

Thank you to all who are reading, please leave me a review if you have any comments or criticism. :) Love you all!

Love and light,

Sarah.


	5. Closure

**Haunted**

_**By Kawaii Cherry Blossom**_

Author's Notes:

Wowie! It's been AGES since I updated last…and if there's anyone that was totally hanging out for this chapter…I'm sorry I made you wait so long! Unfortunately, and for a reason I don't know, I totally lost all inspiration for this story and couldn't write it! But finally, here it is – the second to last chapter. This is where you'll get all the answers, heh, I bet you're happy about that.

I want to thank all my readers, and especially my reviewers! Thanks for being so kind and sticking around until the end. I hope you like this chapter and can forgive me for taking so long to get it out. I'll have a personal message for each of you in the last chapter. :) I hope you like!

-------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

_Closure _

Darkness. It was all she could see as she opened her eyes. She panicked for a moment, her breaths flowing in and out of her mouth rapidly, before her eyes finally adjusted.

Misty glanced around silently. A stream of light coming from under the door allowed her to make out the white walls that edged the room, and the small window framing the one on her right. Next to her bed, a small table on wheels was parked, and a tiny television was elevated on the wall in the corner. She was in a hospital room, for sure. Turning her head on its side, she then noticed a chair next to her bed, and slumped over that chair was…

_Ash…_

His soft snores indicated that he was asleep. He looked terribly uncomfortable, but Misty was relieved that he was there nonetheless. She needed him now, perhaps more than ever. She felt so alone, so fearful. Just having him near made her feel like she was safe, like nobody could touch her.

_So…I'm in the hospital… That's right… I remember now…_

A wave of memories flooded back to her as she lay on her back. The kidnapping, Ash's brave rescue… It was all so surreal that she had to question whether it was just a dream or not. But no, it had happened. Her past had come tearing through her life, destructive and vicious. She hadn't seen Marina's father since the accident all those years ago. He had always seemed so level-headed and calm. Not like the man who had almost killed her. _He_ was livid, uncontrollable, violent…

After the Police had pulled herself and Ash to safety, everything was sort of blurry. She remembered crying in Ash's arms for a long time, or it seemed like a long time. She wasn't sure. At the time, she could barely connect a thought in her head; everything was spinning in all directions, as if her emotions were riding a roller coaster that had lost control. His arms were so strong around her, protecting her. She never wanted to let go, and she felt like if she did, she would fall to her knees and her world would fall apart right then and there. But eventually she was forced to part from his affectionate grasp, when the paramedics cut in. She could recall being led into the ambulance. Ash rode to the hospital with her. He was so brave. She knew he must have been frightened for his own life, but he seemed to have put all that aside so he could concentrate on her. Misty was very thankful for that…

When they arrived at the hospital, they were checked over for injuries. Sabrina was there as well. Misty could vaguely recall the doctor telling her she was fine, but she was very sleepy then, barely able to keep herself up. She couldn't remember anything after that.

_I guess I fell asleep… Makes sense… _

Suddenly, Ash stirred on his seat. Misty glanced over to him. He let out a deep breath, but didn't appear to wake up. Misty's mind drifted to what he said on the bridge…what she said.

_I meant what I said, but did he…? He said he loves me. But did he mean it, or was it just something said in the heat of the moment.…? He couldn't have meant it, could he? Why would he love me? He's never really shown any interest in anything more than friendship with me. I don't know…_

Misty closed her eyes, at the same time shutting her thoughts away in a closet in her mind. They could stay there for now. But in the darkness of her reverie, disturbing flashes of her kidnapper crossed her mind, causing her to shudder violently. She felt so vulnerable, and half-expected him to burst through the door and hurt her, kill her. As the horrifying thought devoured her sanity, she opened her eyes and was somewhat comforted to see that the door was still closed. But still, she couldn't stop shaking all over, and let out a small sob as she tried to slow her panicked breathing.

"Misty?" Misty froze upon hearing his small voice pierce the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

Her tone was unconvincing as it hung tensely in the air. Ash opened his tired eyes and sat up straight.

"You don't have to lie to me. If you're feeling bad, then…"

"I know Ash…"

He nodded in reply, though he had his doubts as to whether she would be entirely honest with him about how she was feeling. In a way, it disheartened him, because he felt as if she were keeping a part of herself from him, when she covered up her feelings. But then, he knew that that was just the way she was, and there must be a lot of different reasons why she had become that way. Perhaps he could help her to trust him enough to tell him her deepest feelings and secrets. He hoped so…

"Did they catch him?" Misty asked softly, her edgy tone eluding that she didn't want to hear a reply if it was going to be 'no'.

"Don't worry, they did. He's been arrested…"

A sense of relief flooded her senses; his answer made her feel the tiniest bit more secure.

"Are you hurt?" she inquired earnestly.

"I'm fine, just glad that you're safe. I can't believe what he tried to do…" Anger was boiling inside of Ash as he balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth.

"But it's over now," Misty rose slightly, putting her arms beside her so that she could pull herself into a sitting position. Ash stood, intent on helping her, but she held out a hand.

"It's alright, I'm fine." She sat up; it hadn't been as difficult as she'd thought.

"What happened? How did you find me?" The question that had been circling beneath her thoughts was finally going to receive an answer.

"Well…" Ash thought back to the anxiety that plagued him earlier that night. "I phoned Sabrina and she teleported here. We went back to the hotel room but you were gone…" he paused for a moment before continuing. "Sabrina thought we should find Selicia, so we did… She had another premonition about you and gave us some details about the surroundings. We worked it out to be the bridge to Sunny Town and went straight there."

Misty simply gave a nod, taking everything in.

_I'm so lucky to have a friend like Ash; I know he'd do anything for me… _

"Is Sabrina still here? I'd like to thank her…"

"She had to go back to Saffron because she's really busy. But I made sure to thank for both of us. She took Selicia as well, she's going to help her to control her powers," Ash explained.

"Oh? That's great," Misty nodded with a small smile, before letting it fade. "Why do you think her premonition changed?"

"Well…I don't really know, but Sabrina seemed to think it was because we heard the premonition."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess…since we knew what was going to happen and then tried to change it, the future changed as well."

"That makes sense… Maybe there really was someone watching us when we left the library. Maybe it was him…" Unease destroyed any secure feelings inside of her, but Ash's chocolate eyes, full of concern, quickly obliterated it.

"You were really brave tonight Ash… Thanks for…" Misty changed the subject.

"You don't need to thank me, Misty. I didn't even think twice about doing it, all I wanted was for you to be safe… If anyone ever hurt you I'd…" he paused then, becoming saddened once more by the thought that he could have lost Misty tonight.

His gaze, intense and full of compassion, rested on hers for a few moments, before she glanced away, turning her eyes away from his. Her expression was unreadable, almost blank, as if she didn't know how to feel. Little did Ash know, this was an exact picture of her feelings, swirling around endlessly inside of her like lost fish in an ocean of confusion and doubt.

Misty knew she had to tell Ash the truth about what happened in her past. She could see it in his eyes – he wanted to ask. He was probably just trying to find the right time. But whether it be sooner or later, the question would come. Inside, she had accepted the reality of the event, fully knowing that it wasn't her fault and that she couldn't have done anything to change what happened. Her nightmare was that Ash wouldn't see it this way, and that he would blame her, hate her, and walk out of her life. Logically, Misty didn't think Ash could be that unsympathetic, but it was a chance that she didn't want to take, because she knew that she couldn't face losing him.

"Uh…Misty?"

When she heard his voice, Misty turned her head to look at her closest friend. He looked timid and slightly flushed as he fiddled with the button of his jacket.

"Um… I was just wondering about what we said on the bridge… I mean, about…" he paused then, and seemingly became lost for words.

"Our feelings?"

"Yeah… I mean…the thing is…" Ash looked straight at her, still hesitant, but serious. "No matter how we feel…I just want you to know that you can trust me."

"I know that Ash…" Misty was unsure as to whether his strange approach signified that he did or didn't mean what he'd said.

"But…you've obviously been hiding _something_ from me all these years. If you trusted me, then why…" He looked hurt now, almost like a student failing at a class they want so desperately to ace. Misty, in turn, glanced away, unable to take the hurt look in his eyes.

"I just…didn't think I would ever have to… It's not something I like to advertise to everyone I meet…"

"But I'm not just someone you met along the way. I like to think I mean more to you than that…"

"Of course you do, but…"

"But what? What's so bad you couldn't tell me? How could you take such a risk, knowing you'd be in danger?"

"Don't think it was easy for me Ash. And I didn't think I'd be in danger because of it. You don't know anything about it," Misty's reply was blunt – she was growing impatient at his frustration and assumption that she kept her secret because she wanted to.

"Exactly…" Ash replied sadly, giving a small sigh. Misty glanced at him momentarily, guilt plastered in her eyes.

"It…happened about two years before I met you…"

Sitting up straight, Ash nodded for her to go on, giving Misty his full attention and support.

"I was playing with my best friend Marina. She and I had been friends since kindergarten, we'd pretty much grown up together. Anyway…this particular day, it was raining really heavily…"

Misty felt strange as she told the story to the first person other than her sisters. She felt inferior and vulnerable as she traced through the steps of the event that changed her life all those years ago.

"Marina always wanted to be at the ocean, even that day. I warned her that the rain was too heavy and it was dangerous, but she insisted we go. So…we went to the bridge over the Cerulean River. We were trying to spot Starmie's when Marina slipped and fell over the rails…"

Misty's voice quivered as the feelings of terror held inside of her since that day came rushing back to the surface of her mind. It was as if she were right there again, like she knew what was going to happen but couldn't do anything to prevent it. Seeing her inner turmoil, Ash reached out and grasped one of her hands.

"It's okay…go on…"

"It was really wet and I couldn't see anything. I tried to see over the rails but I couldn't spot her, and the waves were so huge, I… I couldn't save her…and…she died… They found her the day after, washed up on the river's shore. She didn't stand a chance against the current and strength of the waves…"

"Gosh Mist…I'm so sorry…"

"Marina's father blamed me, said that I should have done something to save her. And for months after that I blamed myself, thinking that I was selfish, that I didn't even try to save my best friend, and because of me she was dead… A few months later, Marina's father moved away and I began to forgive myself, but I couldn't stay in Cerulean City… So I left with the excuse that I wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer…though I really just wanted to get away from there and forget everything that happened…"

"And that's when you met me?"

"That's when I met you… I had no idea that Marina's father would…" Misty stopped then, not wanting to dredge through the memories that ignited within her when she spoke or thought about Marina's dad. Taking a short but deep breath, she continued, her voice small as her vision became blurry from tears.

"I never wanted to hide things from you, especially not that. I just…couldn't think about it, I wanted to bury it with my past and pretend it never happened…"

Braving the nerves that gripped at her soul, threatening to strangle her with the resentment she had locked up within her for so many years, Misty turned to look at Ash.

She studied him for a few moments, and was disturbed to find that she couldn't tell how he was feeling. His eyes were full of a mixture of strong emotions, yet Misty found that she couldn't decipher any of them.

"I'm sorry, Ash…" her apology was more of a pleading request for forgiveness, but she meant it nonetheless.

"It's okay," he closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his features formed a small smile. "I understand why you kept it from me. It's your business after all. But you shouldn't keep things bottled up inside…"

Misty offered him a slight nod, but remained silent.

"You know you can confide in me… I'm going to be on your side, no matter what. I don't want there to be secrets between us Misty…"

As Misty glanced his way once again, she noticed that he had become slightly nervous, his eyebrow twitching slightly as he fiddled with his jacket.

"But there…is something I've been keeping from you for a while…"

"There is?" Misty raised an eyebrow curiously, while Ash lowered his gaze away from her intensely inquisitive expression.

"So uh…about what I was saying before…I um…do…" Though he was tremendously anxious about his confession, he raised his gaze to look at her, before letting his heart speak for itself. "…Love you…"

When he said the words that he'd kept locked up in a cage within his heart, Ash felt free, as if a burdening weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Misty blinked a few times, and although he'd said the words before, while they were on the bridge, it was as though he was saying them for the first time.

"Are…you sure?" Misty had to ask, sincerely in doubt as to whether this was actually happening. She had dreamt about this moment a countless number of times; it seemed impossible that his words could be real…

Ash looked slightly taken aback, but didn't falter. "I'm sure, Mist… And when I almost lost you it made me realise that I had to tell you…"

It was now that the realisation hit Misty, like a gunshot piercing her soul, only it didn't bring pain – it brought joy and bliss. Having felt constantly depressed by the fear that Ash would never return the strong feelings she held for him, this sense of pure happiness was foreign to her. But she welcomed it with open arms.

"I'm sure that I do too," she spoke confidently, trying to subdue the contentment bubbling within her, to avoid looking silly. "I wanted to tell you for ages…but I was too afraid that you only saw me as a friend…"

"Yeah, I felt like that too." He paused, taking a moment to think. "Seems like we wasted a lot of time, huh?" Ash's soft smile was somewhat apologetic, but Misty wasn't looking for apologies.

A radiating smile broke out upon her face as the pent up despair and misery that brought her soul to the ground was vanquished by the fact that Ash returned her feelings.

Ash smiled and nervously took her hand. He didn't have much experience with romance or girls or anything like that, but he knew how he felt, so somehow, that didn't matter. Feeling drawn to the young woman sitting across from him like honey to a bee, he leant forward, as she did the same.

Something inside each of them connected as they kissed for the first time, as if their previously solitary hearts connected and became one. Though it seemed unreal, their reservations were dissolved by their love and devotion for one another. It simply felt right.

"I feel stupid for being so afraid to tell you…" Misty smirked slightly after they had pulled away. Ash giggled. "I guess it does seem pretty dumb…"

"Ash…can I…" Misty turned serious. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Does it involve eating a whole lot of food? I'm starving…"

Misty couldn't help but stifle a snicker. "No. I need to go back home…"

"Oh?"

"Not for long, there's just something I need to do."

Ash nodded in understanding; something in her eyes told him that it was important, and what she said next proved him right.

"I need closure…"

_To be continued…_

Love and light,

Sarah.


End file.
